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The Latecomer
The new page-turner from the bestselling author of The Undoing.
The Oppenheimer triplets have been reared with every advantage: wealth, education, and the determined attention of at least one of their parents.
Now, on the verge of their departure for college and desperate to escape one another at last, the triplets are forced to contend with an unexpected complication: a fourth Oppenheimer sibling has just been born. What has possessed their parents to make such an unfathomable decision? The triplets can't begin to imagine the impact this unwanted sibling will have on their lives - nor the power this little latecomer is about to exert . . .
About the Author
Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of seven novels, including You Should Have Known (adapted as the 2020 HBO series The Undoing), and The Plot. She and her husband, poet Paul Muldoon, are the parents of two children and live in New York City.
The Oppenheimer triplets have been reared with every advantage: wealth, education, and the determined attention of at least one of their parents.
Now, on the verge of their departure for college and desperate to escape one another at last, the triplets are forced to contend with an unexpected complication: a fourth Oppenheimer sibling has just been born. What has possessed their parents to make such an unfathomable decision? The triplets can't begin to imagine the impact this unwanted sibling will have on their lives - nor the power this little latecomer is about to exert . . .
About the Author
Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of seven novels, including You Should Have Known (adapted as the 2020 HBO series The Undoing), and The Plot. She and her husband, poet Paul Muldoon, are the parents of two children and live in New York City.
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2022
4373 people are currently reading
49755 people want to read
About the author
Jean Hanff Korelitz
17 books3,014 followersAuthor of nine novels: THE SEQUEL (2024), THE LATECOMER (2022), THE PLOT (The Tonight Show's "Summer Reads" pick for 2021), THE UNDOING, originally published as YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted by David E. Kelley for HBO and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film of the same name, starring Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin and Paul Rudd), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS, as well as a middle-grade reader, INTERFERENCE POWDER, and a collection of poetry, THE PROPERTIES OF BREATH.
Watch for television adaptations of THE PLOT and THE LATECOMER!
I'm the founder of BOOKTHEWRITER, a New York City based service that offers "Pop-Up Book Groups" where readers can discuss books with their authors in person and online. Please join our mailing list at www.bookthewriter.com to hear about our events.
If you've become aware of my work via THE UNDOING, you should know that my novel differs significantly from the adaptation -- and that's fine with me! Just know that the twists you might be expecting will likely not be there on the page. Other twists, yes, but you'll have to read the book to find them.
If you're trying to reach me, please know that I don't do any communicating through Goodreads, and that includes FRIEND REQUESTS AND FOLLOWING. (You may also infer that I've read more than the few books listed here, all of which are -- coincidence? -- written by me. I have another GOODREADS account, under another name, with which I keep track of my reading, but it's private.) I'm particularly inept on Facebook, as well, so trying to reach me that way will be spectacularly ineffective. If you want to get in touch, please use the contact form on my website, jeanhanffkorelitz.com
Thanks so much for your interest in my work!
Jean Hanff Korelitz
Watch for television adaptations of THE PLOT and THE LATECOMER!
I'm the founder of BOOKTHEWRITER, a New York City based service that offers "Pop-Up Book Groups" where readers can discuss books with their authors in person and online. Please join our mailing list at www.bookthewriter.com to hear about our events.
If you've become aware of my work via THE UNDOING, you should know that my novel differs significantly from the adaptation -- and that's fine with me! Just know that the twists you might be expecting will likely not be there on the page. Other twists, yes, but you'll have to read the book to find them.
If you're trying to reach me, please know that I don't do any communicating through Goodreads, and that includes FRIEND REQUESTS AND FOLLOWING. (You may also infer that I've read more than the few books listed here, all of which are -- coincidence? -- written by me. I have another GOODREADS account, under another name, with which I keep track of my reading, but it's private.) I'm particularly inept on Facebook, as well, so trying to reach me that way will be spectacularly ineffective. If you want to get in touch, please use the contact form on my website, jeanhanffkorelitz.com
Thanks so much for your interest in my work!
Jean Hanff Korelitz
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,570 reviews
May 31, 2022
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Be sure to read the many 4 and 5 star reviews for this book. At this point I'm one of the few people that didn't rate it that highly so don't decide to not read this book just based on my review. There is a good story under all the words, I was just overwhelmed by how much had to be said to tell this story.
It's hard to know the person wealthy, Jewish, New Yorker Salo Oppenheimer would have been had the accident not happened during his college years. But it did happen and when Johanna meets him, not long afterwards, she knows she wants to make it her life's work to "heal" him and have a family with him. After many years of trying to have a baby, that Salo isn't even interested in having, Salo and Johanna welcome triplets. Now Johanna has her family but she won't realize she never really had a family until the triplets are finally able to escape home by leaving for college. But before the triplets escape, Johanna has their embryo sibling implanted in a surrogate, which brings to life "the latecomer".
Of the triplets, the only one I could stand was Lewyn. Harrison didn't even consider him worth speaking to unless it was to tear him down. Sally wanted nothing to do with him either (not that she wanted anything to do with any of her family) and once they arrived at the same college, she let him know she never wanted to see or speak to him and that they should pretend they had never met. The first three hundred and forty eight pages of the story are narrated by the triplets and it's hard to see how the story told by Lewyn would be the same one told by Harrison and Sally but that's what we have. And really, none of the people in the Oppenheimer family, not the triplets or the parents, had any meaningful connection to speak of, other than the father and triplets doing their best to avoid the mother.
As I said, the first three hundred and forty eight pages of the book are from the POV of the triplets and I felt weighed down by their collective selfishness, snugness, self importance, and more. Just the fact that it took them so long to tell the story was a chore. Then the story is taken over by Phoebe and becomes more interesting. In the mind of the triplets, Phoebe was just the product of their crazy mother's decision to have a baby because no one was paying attention to her. It's not like Phoebe has any bearing on their lives. That is until seventeen year old Phoebe takes steps to pull together her family that had never been a family. I know I would have enjoyed this story a lot more if it'd been cut down by about one hundred and fifty pages but that's just me. So many people enjoyed this story just as it has been written so keep that in mind when considering this book.
Pub: May 31st 2022
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
Be sure to read the many 4 and 5 star reviews for this book. At this point I'm one of the few people that didn't rate it that highly so don't decide to not read this book just based on my review. There is a good story under all the words, I was just overwhelmed by how much had to be said to tell this story.
It's hard to know the person wealthy, Jewish, New Yorker Salo Oppenheimer would have been had the accident not happened during his college years. But it did happen and when Johanna meets him, not long afterwards, she knows she wants to make it her life's work to "heal" him and have a family with him. After many years of trying to have a baby, that Salo isn't even interested in having, Salo and Johanna welcome triplets. Now Johanna has her family but she won't realize she never really had a family until the triplets are finally able to escape home by leaving for college. But before the triplets escape, Johanna has their embryo sibling implanted in a surrogate, which brings to life "the latecomer".
Of the triplets, the only one I could stand was Lewyn. Harrison didn't even consider him worth speaking to unless it was to tear him down. Sally wanted nothing to do with him either (not that she wanted anything to do with any of her family) and once they arrived at the same college, she let him know she never wanted to see or speak to him and that they should pretend they had never met. The first three hundred and forty eight pages of the story are narrated by the triplets and it's hard to see how the story told by Lewyn would be the same one told by Harrison and Sally but that's what we have. And really, none of the people in the Oppenheimer family, not the triplets or the parents, had any meaningful connection to speak of, other than the father and triplets doing their best to avoid the mother.
As I said, the first three hundred and forty eight pages of the book are from the POV of the triplets and I felt weighed down by their collective selfishness, snugness, self importance, and more. Just the fact that it took them so long to tell the story was a chore. Then the story is taken over by Phoebe and becomes more interesting. In the mind of the triplets, Phoebe was just the product of their crazy mother's decision to have a baby because no one was paying attention to her. It's not like Phoebe has any bearing on their lives. That is until seventeen year old Phoebe takes steps to pull together her family that had never been a family. I know I would have enjoyed this story a lot more if it'd been cut down by about one hundred and fifty pages but that's just me. So many people enjoyed this story just as it has been written so keep that in mind when considering this book.
Pub: May 31st 2022
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
January 26, 2022
The Latecomer is a multi-layered dysfunctional family drama about three triplets and the late arrival of their sister, who arrives 17 years after they were born.
Meet Harrison, Sally, and Lewyn Oppenheimer, triplets their mother, Johanna, was desperate to have. The siblings don't share the special bond associated with triplets; all that binds them is that they live in the same household and share the same last name. As much as their mother longs for them to bond, the three siblings loathe one another to the point that they try to hide that they are related. They do all they can to distance themselves from one another, even lying about their siblings' existence. However, their carefully crafted world comes crumbling down with the late arrival of their sister, Phoebe, and a tragic event that makes them finally understand the meaning of family.
The Latecomer traces the Oppenheimer triplets’ existence, beginning with their parent’s marriage in the 1960s through 2017.
Each chapter focuses on a different family member: Johanna, Harrison, Sally, Lewyn, and Salo. None of these characters are very likable--they are caught up in their privilege and deal with first-world problems. Phoebe is the exception. Even though they are unlikable, something made me want to keep on reading about them. The narrative voice kept me riveted, and a dramatic, underlying tension kept me on edge.
This is a straightforward, quiet novel, much different from The Plot. It is a complex character study that explores themes of identity, sexuality, race, class, and belonging. It is compelling and engaging; I couldn’t put it down! It is almost 500 pages, but it didn’t feel long--in fact, I could have read another 500 pages. The pacing is slow, but it is appropriate. The characters are multidimensional, and I felt satisfied with how their stories ended.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Meet Harrison, Sally, and Lewyn Oppenheimer, triplets their mother, Johanna, was desperate to have. The siblings don't share the special bond associated with triplets; all that binds them is that they live in the same household and share the same last name. As much as their mother longs for them to bond, the three siblings loathe one another to the point that they try to hide that they are related. They do all they can to distance themselves from one another, even lying about their siblings' existence. However, their carefully crafted world comes crumbling down with the late arrival of their sister, Phoebe, and a tragic event that makes them finally understand the meaning of family.
The Latecomer traces the Oppenheimer triplets’ existence, beginning with their parent’s marriage in the 1960s through 2017.
Each chapter focuses on a different family member: Johanna, Harrison, Sally, Lewyn, and Salo. None of these characters are very likable--they are caught up in their privilege and deal with first-world problems. Phoebe is the exception. Even though they are unlikable, something made me want to keep on reading about them. The narrative voice kept me riveted, and a dramatic, underlying tension kept me on edge.
This is a straightforward, quiet novel, much different from The Plot. It is a complex character study that explores themes of identity, sexuality, race, class, and belonging. It is compelling and engaging; I couldn’t put it down! It is almost 500 pages, but it didn’t feel long--in fact, I could have read another 500 pages. The pacing is slow, but it is appropriate. The characters are multidimensional, and I felt satisfied with how their stories ended.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2022
reading this was a chore - one that requires patience and a sense of hardiness, with not very much rewarded in return. at least for me, personally.
i enjoyed JHKs previous book, ‘the plot,’ because of, well, the plot. lol. i really liked the content and the way the mystery was the focus of the story. it was enough to help me get past the difficulty i had reading JHKs writing style. but unfortunately, there is no plot in this novel to help me do that again.
this is well-written, without a doubt, but its just not something that caters to my personal reading style. the narrative is very descriptive-heavy, with long paragraph after long paragraph of description. very dense, very long, and very much in need of some editing down. of course, this is apt writing for character-based stories, such as this. if you really enjoy character studies, then you might find the drawn out nature of the narrative to be engaging enough.
overall, i did like the concept. i actually learned a lot about jewish families. but JHKs writing style just isnt for me.
thanks so much, celadon books, for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
i enjoyed JHKs previous book, ‘the plot,’ because of, well, the plot. lol. i really liked the content and the way the mystery was the focus of the story. it was enough to help me get past the difficulty i had reading JHKs writing style. but unfortunately, there is no plot in this novel to help me do that again.
this is well-written, without a doubt, but its just not something that caters to my personal reading style. the narrative is very descriptive-heavy, with long paragraph after long paragraph of description. very dense, very long, and very much in need of some editing down. of course, this is apt writing for character-based stories, such as this. if you really enjoy character studies, then you might find the drawn out nature of the narrative to be engaging enough.
overall, i did like the concept. i actually learned a lot about jewish families. but JHKs writing style just isnt for me.
thanks so much, celadon books, for the ARC!
↠ 3 stars
August 31, 2022
This is extraordinary masterpiece! Layered, well developed character analysis captures your attention! Even though the story might be dragging at some chapters, that long and slow burn road still keep attracting your entire focus. There’s no mystery and twist but you are still hooked up to this dysfunctional family tale and you can not dare to put it up! I may honestly read another 500 pages if the author decides to write a sequel because the writing style mesmerizes you. Once you start, you don’t want to stop.
Normally I don’t prefer reading slow burn stories with dislikable, privileged, hypocrite people and their ordinary lives but this book something unique, unconventional, intriguing, mystical that changed my entire reading choice and made me rethink them.
The story begins on 70’s the era that Johanna and Salo meets under different circumstances, a synagogue that Salo attends his girlfriend’s funeral: after the tragic car accident he lost both the girlfriend and his best friend and he was the one driving the car. But luckily nobody blamed him for the deaths including the families who lost loved ones.
Salo’s tumbling starts at that moment, dragging him into art world, marrying with Johanna and their new life starts at Brooklyn apartment till Johanna insists to see a doctor because during three years of their marriage Johanna wasn’t able to get pregnant. ( interestingly Salo had no idea she tried to have a baby) After several attempts, long visits to infertility doctor, Johanna finally expects triplets.
But having babies don’t fulfill her life as she dreamed of. Harrison the smart one, Lewny the weird one and Sally the girl one have only three things in common: they shared the same womb, same house, same last name!
They hate each other’s guts and they hide the fact they’re siblings from their close circle of friends. And at the age of 18, they are so encouraged to live their house and never see each other.
Johanna decides to have another child to reunite their family: but late comer Phoebe’s arrival and tragic event that shakes them to the core change the entire family’s focus and learn them a quiet life changing lesson about the real meaning of the family.
This book is so different and unequalled from the previous works of the author. The dramatic, tense moments kept me on my toes. I didn’t want it end. The writing was so impressive, magnifying. This might be my favorite work the author has written so far.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Normally I don’t prefer reading slow burn stories with dislikable, privileged, hypocrite people and their ordinary lives but this book something unique, unconventional, intriguing, mystical that changed my entire reading choice and made me rethink them.
The story begins on 70’s the era that Johanna and Salo meets under different circumstances, a synagogue that Salo attends his girlfriend’s funeral: after the tragic car accident he lost both the girlfriend and his best friend and he was the one driving the car. But luckily nobody blamed him for the deaths including the families who lost loved ones.
Salo’s tumbling starts at that moment, dragging him into art world, marrying with Johanna and their new life starts at Brooklyn apartment till Johanna insists to see a doctor because during three years of their marriage Johanna wasn’t able to get pregnant. ( interestingly Salo had no idea she tried to have a baby) After several attempts, long visits to infertility doctor, Johanna finally expects triplets.
But having babies don’t fulfill her life as she dreamed of. Harrison the smart one, Lewny the weird one and Sally the girl one have only three things in common: they shared the same womb, same house, same last name!
They hate each other’s guts and they hide the fact they’re siblings from their close circle of friends. And at the age of 18, they are so encouraged to live their house and never see each other.
Johanna decides to have another child to reunite their family: but late comer Phoebe’s arrival and tragic event that shakes them to the core change the entire family’s focus and learn them a quiet life changing lesson about the real meaning of the family.
This book is so different and unequalled from the previous works of the author. The dramatic, tense moments kept me on my toes. I didn’t want it end. The writing was so impressive, magnifying. This might be my favorite work the author has written so far.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
March 31, 2022
If you are expecting Jean Hanff Korelitz's latest novel to bear any similarities to The Plot, you are going to be doomed to disappointment. Instead, we have complex, multilayered, fascinating character studies, a slow burn of a dysfunctional American family drama. It centres on the wealthy and privileged Jewish Oppenheimers, Salo, obsessed with modern art, who experiences a tragic accident, and Johanna who meets him shortly after, determined to do everything possible to help 'heal' him, with her heart set on having a family with him. A family he shows no interest in wanting, but which Johanna is eventually able to realise through IVF treatments, with triplets Harrison, Sally and Lewyn, with a fourth embryo frozen that in later years will become the eponymous 'latecomer'.
The now college age children grow up, complacent, selfish, convinced of their own importance and worth, and crucially, feeling no connection with each other, even openly hostile and disowning each other, and there is nothing Johanna can do to change these dynamics through the years, even as she goes to some lengths to give the superficial impression of family cohesion through rituals and annual photographs displayed on the walls. To be honest, there is little about any of them that is likely to make the reader view them as likeable human beings, the family inhabit a home where they operate as separate entities. Feeling the empty nest syndrome acutely, and desperate to fill the void within her, she makes a decision to have another child by using the leftover frozen embryo, and so Phoebe is born, setting in play a path in which the entrenched dynamics and nature of the Oppenheimer family are set to unravel.
Korelitz writes a powerful, beautifully written, and well plotted story of the Oppenheimers, related through their personal perspectives, with the inclusion of some surprising and unexpected twists. She explores the themes of class, identity, race, sexuality, grief, infidelity, guilt and family through this riveting and compulsive novel, and not once did this feel like a lengthy read for me. If you are interested in character driven family drama and find exploring dysfunctional family units appealing, then I highly recommend this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
The now college age children grow up, complacent, selfish, convinced of their own importance and worth, and crucially, feeling no connection with each other, even openly hostile and disowning each other, and there is nothing Johanna can do to change these dynamics through the years, even as she goes to some lengths to give the superficial impression of family cohesion through rituals and annual photographs displayed on the walls. To be honest, there is little about any of them that is likely to make the reader view them as likeable human beings, the family inhabit a home where they operate as separate entities. Feeling the empty nest syndrome acutely, and desperate to fill the void within her, she makes a decision to have another child by using the leftover frozen embryo, and so Phoebe is born, setting in play a path in which the entrenched dynamics and nature of the Oppenheimer family are set to unravel.
Korelitz writes a powerful, beautifully written, and well plotted story of the Oppenheimers, related through their personal perspectives, with the inclusion of some surprising and unexpected twists. She explores the themes of class, identity, race, sexuality, grief, infidelity, guilt and family through this riveting and compulsive novel, and not once did this feel like a lengthy read for me. If you are interested in character driven family drama and find exploring dysfunctional family units appealing, then I highly recommend this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
dnf
February 10, 2022I’ve read and loved two of the author’s previous books but this one felt like the one she wrote but couldn’t get published until she had success and name recognition.
I gave up at pg 50, long enough to know that the dense writing (small font, lots of pages), all the talk about art acquisition, and the unlikable characters were not for me. I read a bit at the end to see if I should persevere and confirmed that dnf’ing was right for me.
Many others loved it, so please read their reviews. No book is for every reader.
* I received a copy of this book courtesy of Celedon books
I gave up at pg 50, long enough to know that the dense writing (small font, lots of pages), all the talk about art acquisition, and the unlikable characters were not for me. I read a bit at the end to see if I should persevere and confirmed that dnf’ing was right for me.
Many others loved it, so please read their reviews. No book is for every reader.
* I received a copy of this book courtesy of Celedon books
May 31, 2022
It was fine, like cruise control driving under the speed limit. 💅🚘
The Latecomer is a contemporary Jewish family drama that spans decades. It's about a wealthy Oppenheimer family in New York City. The story started well and I was interested in Johanna's character wanting children. She did get triplets through IVF plus one extra frozen embryo.
By the time the kids go to college, their campus life didn't hold my interest. It's more slow-paced than I would have liked. I find the storyline lacking as I didn't particularly like any of the adult triplets. I wasn't sure where it's going but perhaps a great read for those who enjoy character studies. In the end, this one wasn’t the right fit for me. I loved "The Plot" by JHK so I'm looking forward to the next one!
🎧💖 Julia Whelan is amazing and I have to give her the credit for getting me through this long book.
I received this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via Netgalley, thank you!
Published May 31, 2022.
The Latecomer is a contemporary Jewish family drama that spans decades. It's about a wealthy Oppenheimer family in New York City. The story started well and I was interested in Johanna's character wanting children. She did get triplets through IVF plus one extra frozen embryo.
By the time the kids go to college, their campus life didn't hold my interest. It's more slow-paced than I would have liked. I find the storyline lacking as I didn't particularly like any of the adult triplets. I wasn't sure where it's going but perhaps a great read for those who enjoy character studies. In the end, this one wasn’t the right fit for me. I loved "The Plot" by JHK so I'm looking forward to the next one!
🎧💖 Julia Whelan is amazing and I have to give her the credit for getting me through this long book.
I received this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via Netgalley, thank you!
Published May 31, 2022.
March 26, 2022
The Latecomer is a family drama about a rich Jewish family. Starting in the 1970s, when Johanna and Salo meet, through the in vitro treatments that produce triplets and finally, 18 years later when a fourth sibling arrives, the leftover embryo from that long ago procedure. The triplets give lie to the myth that children that share a womb have some sort of magical connection. These three are innately different and anxious to escape each other. As Johanna observes, “They were two adults plus three children, made concurrently. They were five humans cohabiting. They were not, and never had been, a family”.
There’s a dry humor to this character rich story. I can’t say I understood these folks, but I sure wanted to know how their intertwined lives would play out. The story flips between all the main characters, shining a spotlight on one than another. It tackles a lot of deep issues - marital fidelity, what it means to be a family, sexual and race identity, teaching and political biases. Everyone has secrets and it takes the fourth child to bring them all out into the open.
Do not go into this expecting a riveting novel like The Plot. It’s very different. It’s a slow study. At times, I felt it dragged a little and could have used a better editing job. But in the final analysis, I really enjoyed this. The writing was beautiful,and I was highlighting a lot of passages.
My thanks to Celadon Books for an advance copy of this book.
There’s a dry humor to this character rich story. I can’t say I understood these folks, but I sure wanted to know how their intertwined lives would play out. The story flips between all the main characters, shining a spotlight on one than another. It tackles a lot of deep issues - marital fidelity, what it means to be a family, sexual and race identity, teaching and political biases. Everyone has secrets and it takes the fourth child to bring them all out into the open.
Do not go into this expecting a riveting novel like The Plot. It’s very different. It’s a slow study. At times, I felt it dragged a little and could have used a better editing job. But in the final analysis, I really enjoyed this. The writing was beautiful,and I was highlighting a lot of passages.
My thanks to Celadon Books for an advance copy of this book.
January 7, 2022
[4+]It is a good thing I started this gripping novel on a long weekend because I couldn't put it down. Let me be clear, the thrill in reading The Latecomer is not the plot or a sensationalist twist, it is the slow-building, exquisitely drawn character development of the troubled Oppenheimer family members. Korelitz masterfully pulls the reader into caring about people who are remote and unsympathetic, all while providing an entertaining dose of cultural commentary. And the ending is brilliantly satisfying. This is the fourth novel I've read by Korelitz and definitely my favorite - I was magnetized by this knotty, thorny family.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an early ARC.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me an early ARC.
January 20, 2022
Salo Oppenheimer's vehicle had been traveling at "an eminently reasonable speed down a perfectly respectable road when it hit a loose rock." Tragedy ensued. Johanna was determined to be his salve of healing. "...the great purpose of her life would be to love him enough to relieve him of his great burden...he lacked a sense of fully inhabiting his own life...". He came from a wealthy family, a family that had amassed an impressive collection of Old Master paintings, however Salo felt an immediate connection to modern art instead. "...he never took his eyes off the painting...scribbled loops of orange and red...he wanted the world to leave him alone with the painting."
Seeing to Salo's "comfort, his entertainment, his absolution" was key. After moving into a new house in Brooklyn Heights, Johanna started to envision the patter of little feet. Years of infertility would plague her. Finally, thanks to IVF, four viable embryos! The Oppenheimer triplets were conceived. The fourth embryo was frozen. "Three tiny people: they had arrived as they already were and would ever be, Harrison wild for escape, Sally preemptively sullen, Lewyn full of woe...". "It meant everything to Johanna that her children be powerfully attached to one another...but the illusion took every bit of her will and strength to maintain...So powerful was the force of their mutual aversion...you might even have said it was the single thing they actually did share...". Into this void, Johanna introduced routines and rituals including a yearly birthday photo they were forced to assemble for, yearly photos that lined the walls leading to the upstairs.
"They were five humans cohabiting. They were not, and never had been a family." While Johanna was trying to foster the image of a cohesive family unit, Salo was out purchasing artwork to be installed in the warehouse he purchased in Red Hook. A visit to the Outsider Art Fair in Chelsea would create more shock waves in an already dysfunctional family. Johanna soldiered on. The triplets were now eighteen and off to college. "[Johanna] would not be the first mother to feel the sharp emptiness of abandonment, the fog of purposelessness, when her children departed for their own lives." She made a startling, life changing decision. Choosing a surrogate, "the latecomer", fourth child Phoebe was born. What role would Phoebe play in this family?
"The Latecomer" by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a hefty read coming in at almost five hundred pages. It was well worth it! This character study of a family in turmoil has themes of deceit and omission, guilt and grief, infidelity, race, religion and privilege. This reader did ponder the question of birth order. With twenty four permutations, Phoebe might have been born as one of "the three". What would the family dynamic have been like had Harrison, Sally or Lewyn been the latecomer instead? That said, Phoebe played a pivotal role in the family interactions. I was so invested in the lives of the Oppenheimers, their friends and foes, I wanted to spend more time with them even after the last page was turned. Highly recommended!
Thank you Celadon Books for the print ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Seeing to Salo's "comfort, his entertainment, his absolution" was key. After moving into a new house in Brooklyn Heights, Johanna started to envision the patter of little feet. Years of infertility would plague her. Finally, thanks to IVF, four viable embryos! The Oppenheimer triplets were conceived. The fourth embryo was frozen. "Three tiny people: they had arrived as they already were and would ever be, Harrison wild for escape, Sally preemptively sullen, Lewyn full of woe...". "It meant everything to Johanna that her children be powerfully attached to one another...but the illusion took every bit of her will and strength to maintain...So powerful was the force of their mutual aversion...you might even have said it was the single thing they actually did share...". Into this void, Johanna introduced routines and rituals including a yearly birthday photo they were forced to assemble for, yearly photos that lined the walls leading to the upstairs.
"They were five humans cohabiting. They were not, and never had been a family." While Johanna was trying to foster the image of a cohesive family unit, Salo was out purchasing artwork to be installed in the warehouse he purchased in Red Hook. A visit to the Outsider Art Fair in Chelsea would create more shock waves in an already dysfunctional family. Johanna soldiered on. The triplets were now eighteen and off to college. "[Johanna] would not be the first mother to feel the sharp emptiness of abandonment, the fog of purposelessness, when her children departed for their own lives." She made a startling, life changing decision. Choosing a surrogate, "the latecomer", fourth child Phoebe was born. What role would Phoebe play in this family?
"The Latecomer" by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a hefty read coming in at almost five hundred pages. It was well worth it! This character study of a family in turmoil has themes of deceit and omission, guilt and grief, infidelity, race, religion and privilege. This reader did ponder the question of birth order. With twenty four permutations, Phoebe might have been born as one of "the three". What would the family dynamic have been like had Harrison, Sally or Lewyn been the latecomer instead? That said, Phoebe played a pivotal role in the family interactions. I was so invested in the lives of the Oppenheimers, their friends and foes, I wanted to spend more time with them even after the last page was turned. Highly recommended!
Thank you Celadon Books for the print ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 23, 2022
4.5 stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this intricately plotted novel about a New York family, which despite wealth, education, and all advantages, was unsuccessful in creating a healthy, loving household.
As all families, the Oppenheimer family is complex, and the reader takes the journey to understand each member. Unfortunately for the Oppenheimer’s, no one takes the time to understand each other.
Salo is the patriarch who runs the family investment firm and has an unquenchable passion for art. Early in his marriage, much to the chagrin of his wife, Joanna, he brought home art that “spoke” to him.
Joanna’s unquenchable passion is family, and she wasn’t getting one, despite all their trying. This is the early days of IVF, and after many tries and as a last attempt, the last three of four viable embryos are implanted. Success! Yet this left Joanna bedridden for most of her pregnancy and left her forced to look at Salo’s (to her ugly) art. Once Salo learned that the value of this art that he bought has appreciated astronomically, he purchases a warehouse to store his art, relieving Joanna of her forced views. Regrettably, Salo wants to spend his free time looking at his art, thereby leaving a paternal void in the Oppenheimer home.
The Oppenheimer triplets, Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally are born. Author Korelitz tells the stories of each triplet independently of each other. Salo’s art passion grows, and Joanna’s need to have a close-knit family creates pressure that results in the children shunning not only their parents but each other.
Korelitz has been compared to Edith Wharton in her ability to expose the wealthy social class. Like Wharton she touches on politics, race, class, inheritance, and real estate. I particularly loved reading about the affluent and socially liberal private school, the fictious Walden School of Brooklyn Heights, where the children attend. Korelitz had lots of fun writing about Walden, and I had lots of fun reading about it, mostly because it’s accurate!
Once the triplets have matriculated from their liberal private school, Joanna feels her family imploding with each child independent from the other. Even Salo seems distant. There is one remaining viable embryo, and Joanna does a Hail Mary attempt at a healthy united family. This embryo becomes Phoebe, the “late comer”.
Korelitz includes it all: sibling rivalry, extramarital affair, a secret inheritance provision, a tragic accident, denial, forgiveness and kindness.
This is a twisty tale of a complex family. I loved every word I read. Although the Oppenheimer family is dysfunctional and sort of mean, I shall miss their antics.
As all families, the Oppenheimer family is complex, and the reader takes the journey to understand each member. Unfortunately for the Oppenheimer’s, no one takes the time to understand each other.
Salo is the patriarch who runs the family investment firm and has an unquenchable passion for art. Early in his marriage, much to the chagrin of his wife, Joanna, he brought home art that “spoke” to him.
Joanna’s unquenchable passion is family, and she wasn’t getting one, despite all their trying. This is the early days of IVF, and after many tries and as a last attempt, the last three of four viable embryos are implanted. Success! Yet this left Joanna bedridden for most of her pregnancy and left her forced to look at Salo’s (to her ugly) art. Once Salo learned that the value of this art that he bought has appreciated astronomically, he purchases a warehouse to store his art, relieving Joanna of her forced views. Regrettably, Salo wants to spend his free time looking at his art, thereby leaving a paternal void in the Oppenheimer home.
The Oppenheimer triplets, Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally are born. Author Korelitz tells the stories of each triplet independently of each other. Salo’s art passion grows, and Joanna’s need to have a close-knit family creates pressure that results in the children shunning not only their parents but each other.
Korelitz has been compared to Edith Wharton in her ability to expose the wealthy social class. Like Wharton she touches on politics, race, class, inheritance, and real estate. I particularly loved reading about the affluent and socially liberal private school, the fictious Walden School of Brooklyn Heights, where the children attend. Korelitz had lots of fun writing about Walden, and I had lots of fun reading about it, mostly because it’s accurate!
Once the triplets have matriculated from their liberal private school, Joanna feels her family imploding with each child independent from the other. Even Salo seems distant. There is one remaining viable embryo, and Joanna does a Hail Mary attempt at a healthy united family. This embryo becomes Phoebe, the “late comer”.
Korelitz includes it all: sibling rivalry, extramarital affair, a secret inheritance provision, a tragic accident, denial, forgiveness and kindness.
This is a twisty tale of a complex family. I loved every word I read. Although the Oppenheimer family is dysfunctional and sort of mean, I shall miss their antics.
June 12, 2022
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.31!**
It's time for another pop quiz!
What do The Latecomer and an invisible pencil have in common?
...Give up?
In both cases...I just can't see the point.
The Oppenheimer family are a rich, NYC-based Jewish family with a similarly 'rich' history. Father Salo, an art dealer, can't escape from the memories of an accident he caused as a teen, and the ramifications of this incident linger on...but also led him to his wife, Johanna. The two begin a courtship, but when they attempt to have children, Johanna's infertility struggles lead the couple to the path of IVF and embryos, which eventually give them triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally. Although multiples are always said to have that unspoken kinship, these three don't get along and don't feel that innate closeness. As time marches on and they head to university, their lives become entangled in ways nobody could have expected, and secrets begin piling up from the past and present, ready to spill over. When Johanna informs the family that a FOURTH embryo, Phoebe, is entering the mix, what will this Latecomer do to the Oppenheimer family dynamic? Is she the link that could change everything...or does fate have an even deeper twist in store?
Jean Hanff Korelitz's last novel, The Plot, focused on well, just that. If this one was similarly named, I'd have to call it The (Unlikable) Character Study. The breadth of this book was intimidating from the off, but Korelitz's writing is so smooth and effortless, so Literary with a capital L, that it makes you stop and say "Wow, she can write." And I got that same feeling from this book as her last, so I hoped with some time and patience, I would get past the set-up and the initial grating personality traits and become fully invested in all of the Oppenheimers...and then would be DAZZLED by the plot.
But unfortunately...this book does not possess any of the 'wow' moments I felt while reading the Plot. On the contrary, much of the happenings are simply the pedestrian aspects of each Oppenheimer's life, and they aren't much to talk about at times. Harrison in particular is insufferable (granted, he is one character that is DESIGNED to be awful) but each time I got to one of his chapters, I groaned and tried to grit my teeth until it was over. Phoebe is not even introduced into the narrative until the book is nearly over, so unlike the others, I felt that her character was solely based around "Wow, I wasn't one of the original three. What if I had been?", which is interesting for her to explore...for about 5 pages, and then it got old.
There is also what I consider a completely out of left field and somewhat arbitrary plot twist. Sure, it caught me off guard, but I don't think it needed to be in the book at all and simply seemed to be added for shock value and to make one part of the plot work. This is also the sort of book where each plot thread is somehow stuck or tangled with another...UNTIL the end where magically, everything comes together conveniently. For a writer as brilliant with plotting as Korelitz, I was disappointed with some of the choices she made, because she took realistic writing and plot into the realm of unlikely for me and sort of nullified the positive aspects of the reading experience. I'm not a huge fan of an ending that feels contrived, and this one most certainly did.
It's so hard for me to give this book less than 4 stars, based on writing quality alone, because despite these issues Korelitz is so STRONG as a literary author. Being a bit long-winded and plotting that reads like this would normally deter me much more, but I still came out of this book with a great respect for this author. I just would love to know the WHY behind this book, since that was the largest and most glaring missing piece for me. I'm sure she had a reason for telling this particular story in this particular way...but maybe that too, was simply written with invisible ink.
3.5 stars
#TheLatecomerBook #CeladonReads #partner
It's time for another pop quiz!
What do The Latecomer and an invisible pencil have in common?
...Give up?
In both cases...I just can't see the point.
The Oppenheimer family are a rich, NYC-based Jewish family with a similarly 'rich' history. Father Salo, an art dealer, can't escape from the memories of an accident he caused as a teen, and the ramifications of this incident linger on...but also led him to his wife, Johanna. The two begin a courtship, but when they attempt to have children, Johanna's infertility struggles lead the couple to the path of IVF and embryos, which eventually give them triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally. Although multiples are always said to have that unspoken kinship, these three don't get along and don't feel that innate closeness. As time marches on and they head to university, their lives become entangled in ways nobody could have expected, and secrets begin piling up from the past and present, ready to spill over. When Johanna informs the family that a FOURTH embryo, Phoebe, is entering the mix, what will this Latecomer do to the Oppenheimer family dynamic? Is she the link that could change everything...or does fate have an even deeper twist in store?
Jean Hanff Korelitz's last novel, The Plot, focused on well, just that. If this one was similarly named, I'd have to call it The (Unlikable) Character Study. The breadth of this book was intimidating from the off, but Korelitz's writing is so smooth and effortless, so Literary with a capital L, that it makes you stop and say "Wow, she can write." And I got that same feeling from this book as her last, so I hoped with some time and patience, I would get past the set-up and the initial grating personality traits and become fully invested in all of the Oppenheimers...and then would be DAZZLED by the plot.
But unfortunately...this book does not possess any of the 'wow' moments I felt while reading the Plot. On the contrary, much of the happenings are simply the pedestrian aspects of each Oppenheimer's life, and they aren't much to talk about at times. Harrison in particular is insufferable (granted, he is one character that is DESIGNED to be awful) but each time I got to one of his chapters, I groaned and tried to grit my teeth until it was over. Phoebe is not even introduced into the narrative until the book is nearly over, so unlike the others, I felt that her character was solely based around "Wow, I wasn't one of the original three. What if I had been?", which is interesting for her to explore...for about 5 pages, and then it got old.
There is also what I consider a completely out of left field and somewhat arbitrary plot twist. Sure, it caught me off guard, but I don't think it needed to be in the book at all and simply seemed to be added for shock value and to make one part of the plot work. This is also the sort of book where each plot thread is somehow stuck or tangled with another...UNTIL the end where magically, everything comes together conveniently. For a writer as brilliant with plotting as Korelitz, I was disappointed with some of the choices she made, because she took realistic writing and plot into the realm of unlikely for me and sort of nullified the positive aspects of the reading experience. I'm not a huge fan of an ending that feels contrived, and this one most certainly did.
It's so hard for me to give this book less than 4 stars, based on writing quality alone, because despite these issues Korelitz is so STRONG as a literary author. Being a bit long-winded and plotting that reads like this would normally deter me much more, but I still came out of this book with a great respect for this author. I just would love to know the WHY behind this book, since that was the largest and most glaring missing piece for me. I'm sure she had a reason for telling this particular story in this particular way...but maybe that too, was simply written with invisible ink.
3.5 stars
#TheLatecomerBook #CeladonReads #partner
June 28, 2022
After reading the Plot and loving it, I thought I was in for a treat with Jean Hanff Korelitz's newest novel, The Latecomer.
Sadly this book didn't do it for me and this was greatly in part to the characters.
The blurb should say, this book is about Johanna. A mother of triplets (test tube triplets) who was treated like trash by everyone she loved.
I got so tired of listening to her kids berate her for trying to make them into a family. It got old really fast.
The triplets were selfish, self-centered, egoistical, and really just insufferable. Please don't think her husband was any better. Salo never cared for her. He was more than ok with having a side piece and another family with her. He was never present for the family he had created first. He never showed an interest in Joanna, her children, or fidelity. He was a waste of space.
I’m addition, this book screams a need for editing. It was long and redundant. Nothing really happened except the disgust the triplets professed in thinking of spending any time with their mother.
I know some of my book friends love this book and you should read their reviews. After all, I'm in the minority.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Celadon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Sadly this book didn't do it for me and this was greatly in part to the characters.
The blurb should say, this book is about Johanna. A mother of triplets (test tube triplets) who was treated like trash by everyone she loved.
I got so tired of listening to her kids berate her for trying to make them into a family. It got old really fast.
The triplets were selfish, self-centered, egoistical, and really just insufferable. Please don't think her husband was any better. Salo never cared for her. He was more than ok with having a side piece and another family with her. He was never present for the family he had created first. He never showed an interest in Joanna, her children, or fidelity. He was a waste of space.
I’m addition, this book screams a need for editing. It was long and redundant. Nothing really happened except the disgust the triplets professed in thinking of spending any time with their mother.
I know some of my book friends love this book and you should read their reviews. After all, I'm in the minority.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Celadon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
April 10, 2022
The first book I read by Jean Hanff Korelitz, “You Should Have Known”, was in 2014…. a mystery thriller. I liked it and gave it 5 stars.
“You Should Have Known” was later given a ‘title change’….
….it’s now called “The Undoing”.…
I have no idea why the title was changed — a fact I only learned today. I also learned that there is a TV series based on the book. I’m guessing the TV series had some influence in changing the novel’s title. . . but I really have no idea.
I then read “The Plot”….a clever thriller … I gave it 4 stars.
Next….I read one of Korelitz’s earlier books called “The White Rose”. Unfortunately, I gave it 2 stars…
So….that brings me to “The Latecomer”….. 4. 5 stars
“Privilege and tragedy. A perfect storm for any adolescent”….
I’ll begin with a personal share ….
When my husband, Paul, was seven years of age, his parents, younger brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins took a camping getaway weekend to celebrate the PhD in engineering degree that Paul’s father had just received from UCLA.
Paul and his dad went off on a hike. From nowhere, a boulder came rolling down the hill and killed his father.
The tragedy was devastating - an unbelievable shocking loss for everyone in Paul’s family.
For Paul, a seven year old boy—who was soon told he was “the man of the house now”….it was a life changing
defining moment.
At the start of this novel two people were killed by a boulder.
Mandy Bernstein— a nice Jewish girl— was killed by a boulder in this story. Salo Oppenheimer was driving the car that killed her. One other person in the car also died.
Salo was only eighteen years old at the time. Nobody blamed Salo ….but how might you feel if you were the driver of two people who died? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know it was a defining moment in Salo’s life……
which shows up more after marriage and triplets…...
ha….as if ‘having’ triplets isn’t a defining moment, itself.
A few years later Salo married Mandy’s Little Sister, Johanna Hirsch, (not literally her biological sister), but her ‘Little Sister’from the local Jewish chapel of the B’nai Brith Girls.
As we continue reading….the tales about Salo and Johanna Oppenheimer and their triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally …(who aren’t happy camper siblings)…..picks up some speed.
The storytelling is divided into three parts….with the tension, surprises, secrets, building steadily.
The writing at the beginning was a little awkwardly written….but the main story itself, was fascinating….looking to be an ambitious complex undertaking….which it sure had to be.
I recognized the Jewish speaking intonations….
Jewish family cultural ideologies…
along with an emphasis preference on wealth and education.
The prose was a little wordy…..editing needs were noticeable—
having ‘too many’ stones blocking an easy pathway to the heart of the story…
requiring strides of patience to plough through parts … yet there were also gems-of-emotional and cerebral interest, secrets, twists, and turns, under those stones.
The themes were as dense as stone too: religion, race, (race/religion combined-complexities), privileged, family, marriage, sexuality, identity, fertility, infidelity, gender, mental health, loss, grief, etc……with flawed and unlikable characters …..
…..as well as love and forgiveness!
Not a traditional thriller/family saga…
Rather….
It’s a
Be Here Now On This Page *savior me* please…..
In exchange……
Readers will find their seat…..
Eat the treats….
Be rewarded.
But…..only if you have the patience to dine, not scarf down a meal.
One teaser/symbolic excerpt….
“The gist of it all, and this was a primary importance to students and parents alike, was that you couldn’t just walk into the Ivy League today, no matter who you were, or where your parents went to college, or how many AP classes you’d taken (a moot issue at Walden, where AP classes weren’t offered because every class was considered AP-equivalent). It was different now”.
Thank you Celadon Books, Netgalley, and Jean Haniff.
I enjoyed it.
“You Should Have Known” was later given a ‘title change’….
….it’s now called “The Undoing”.…
I have no idea why the title was changed — a fact I only learned today. I also learned that there is a TV series based on the book. I’m guessing the TV series had some influence in changing the novel’s title. . . but I really have no idea.
I then read “The Plot”….a clever thriller … I gave it 4 stars.
Next….I read one of Korelitz’s earlier books called “The White Rose”. Unfortunately, I gave it 2 stars…
So….that brings me to “The Latecomer”….. 4. 5 stars
“Privilege and tragedy. A perfect storm for any adolescent”….
I’ll begin with a personal share ….
When my husband, Paul, was seven years of age, his parents, younger brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins took a camping getaway weekend to celebrate the PhD in engineering degree that Paul’s father had just received from UCLA.
Paul and his dad went off on a hike. From nowhere, a boulder came rolling down the hill and killed his father.
The tragedy was devastating - an unbelievable shocking loss for everyone in Paul’s family.
For Paul, a seven year old boy—who was soon told he was “the man of the house now”….it was a life changing
defining moment.
At the start of this novel two people were killed by a boulder.
Mandy Bernstein— a nice Jewish girl— was killed by a boulder in this story. Salo Oppenheimer was driving the car that killed her. One other person in the car also died.
Salo was only eighteen years old at the time. Nobody blamed Salo ….but how might you feel if you were the driver of two people who died? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know it was a defining moment in Salo’s life……
which shows up more after marriage and triplets…...
ha….as if ‘having’ triplets isn’t a defining moment, itself.
A few years later Salo married Mandy’s Little Sister, Johanna Hirsch, (not literally her biological sister), but her ‘Little Sister’from the local Jewish chapel of the B’nai Brith Girls.
As we continue reading….the tales about Salo and Johanna Oppenheimer and their triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally …(who aren’t happy camper siblings)…..picks up some speed.
The storytelling is divided into three parts….with the tension, surprises, secrets, building steadily.
The writing at the beginning was a little awkwardly written….but the main story itself, was fascinating….looking to be an ambitious complex undertaking….which it sure had to be.
I recognized the Jewish speaking intonations….
Jewish family cultural ideologies…
along with an emphasis preference on wealth and education.
The prose was a little wordy…..editing needs were noticeable—
having ‘too many’ stones blocking an easy pathway to the heart of the story…
requiring strides of patience to plough through parts … yet there were also gems-of-emotional and cerebral interest, secrets, twists, and turns, under those stones.
The themes were as dense as stone too: religion, race, (race/religion combined-complexities), privileged, family, marriage, sexuality, identity, fertility, infidelity, gender, mental health, loss, grief, etc……with flawed and unlikable characters …..
…..as well as love and forgiveness!
Not a traditional thriller/family saga…
Rather….
It’s a
Be Here Now On This Page *savior me* please…..
In exchange……
Readers will find their seat…..
Eat the treats….
Be rewarded.
But…..only if you have the patience to dine, not scarf down a meal.
One teaser/symbolic excerpt….
“The gist of it all, and this was a primary importance to students and parents alike, was that you couldn’t just walk into the Ivy League today, no matter who you were, or where your parents went to college, or how many AP classes you’d taken (a moot issue at Walden, where AP classes weren’t offered because every class was considered AP-equivalent). It was different now”.
Thank you Celadon Books, Netgalley, and Jean Haniff.
I enjoyed it.
June 1, 2022
NOW AVAILABLE!!
Privilege and tragedy. The perfect storm for any adolescent.
this is a big messy jewish-american family saga in which a couple is brought together by tragedy, their triplets are brought into existence by science, and the five of them spin off into their own separate orbits before being brought back together by another tragedy, and the efforts of another science-birthed sibling.
the whole dysfunctional dramedy of the oppenheimer family is rooted in the sour soil of grief and guilt, with johanna first meeting future husband salo at his fiancée's funeral. twenty-year-old salo had been driving a jeep that crashed—killing two of his three passengers—and leaving him numb and "tumbling." meeting him again several years later at a wedding, johanna finds herself drawn to him and becomes determined to absorb all of his damage.
for his part, salo shrugs into the relationship with no illusions, but also no great passion
Why not? is not the most promising beginning to a love story, but the two of them get along well enough and begin married life in quiet prosperity. salo finds more comfort in art than in other people, and he uses his considerable family wealth and unerring eye for emerging talent to amass a private collection that will continue to appreciate in value over the years. meanwhile johanna longs for a family to cement her distracted, emotionally unavailable husband more firmly into her life.
she struggles to get pregnant for years, consulting with fertility doctors and undergoing numerous unsuccessful procedures on her soul-crushing "infertility journey." in what is to be their final attempt, three fertilized eggs are implanted into johanna's womb while the final egg is frozen for the likelihood of a surrogate. but against all expectations, all three embryos "take" and johanna becomes pregnant with triplets.
as arduous a process as it was to bring her children into the world, their conception turns out to be the easiest part of achieving johanna's dream of the big happy oppenheimer family, and the time that harrison, lewyn, and sally spent together in utero is the end of their closeness. the triplets don't have any use for each other, and salo spends more and more time acquiring and admiring his art collection in its temperature-controlled brooklyn warehouse while johanna waits in vain "for the magical creative synergy of her happy children to fill the house."
she clings to her dreams of familial bliss, but their home life is nothing more than a collection of individuals quietly pursuing their own interests and her children have nothing but antipathy for each other.
wanting domestic harmony is not enough to make it so; every unhappy oppenheimer is unhappy in their own way, and ultimately johanna understands that nothing she has done has saved herself or salo.
as her children prepare to head off to college, johanna discovers a shocking secret about her husband, and—faced with an empty nest of unfulfilled hopes and purposelessness, she makes arrangements to use a surrogate and her long-frozen embryo to bring phoebe into the world, quadruplets separated by seventeen years.
what follows is a slow-burning story of a fragmented family unspooling through the triplets' college-years misadventures; three blood relations forging their own individual paths through the found families of mentors, friends, and love interests; trying on identities, shaping their values and seeking their purpose. although they have been blessed with every financial opportunity, they are nonetheless lonely and drifting; seeking connection, trying to grow into themselves untethered by the bonds of a family divided by petty jealousy, betrayal, and widely diverging sociopolitical worldviews.
but then there's phoebe, determined to wrangle them all back together.
it's a big satisfying chonk of a book full of all the good family drama stuff like infidelity, secrets, and inheritance, and it's dripping with juicy back- and side-stories where maladjusted and variously-unlikeable characters are forced to consider the world beyond their own privilege and education in matters of religion, sexuality, race, and ideologies. and chickens.
everything circles back tidily and somewhat conveniently, and although it's centered around broken, yearning people, it's not a disillusionment bleakfest and it is often very funny.
my only complaint is that, once the triplets leave home, johanna doesn't factor much into the story; she's central-but-absent from the narrative and their lives overall, which was disappointing to me, since she's the most proactive and interesting character. her stubbornness, sacrifice, and suffering are the catalyst for so many important plot points, and her choices have such profound consequences that it was a shame to lose access to her inner life so early into the book.
it's kind of a perfect summer-book-club-book, so if you have one of those, give it a whirl.
come to my blog!!
Privilege and tragedy. The perfect storm for any adolescent.
this is a big messy jewish-american family saga in which a couple is brought together by tragedy, their triplets are brought into existence by science, and the five of them spin off into their own separate orbits before being brought back together by another tragedy, and the efforts of another science-birthed sibling.
the whole dysfunctional dramedy of the oppenheimer family is rooted in the sour soil of grief and guilt, with johanna first meeting future husband salo at his fiancée's funeral. twenty-year-old salo had been driving a jeep that crashed—killing two of his three passengers—and leaving him numb and "tumbling." meeting him again several years later at a wedding, johanna finds herself drawn to him and becomes determined to absorb all of his damage.
From this moment forward it was all going to be about our father, and the great purpose of her life would be to love him enough to relieve him of his great burden, and to free him from that one, terrible shard of time in which he was so unfairly trapped, and to salve at last that wound of his, that one that wouldn't heal.
for his part, salo shrugs into the relationship with no illusions, but also no great passion
But she knew what he'd done, and she was here anyway. Something inside him slipped into place: not love, not a sudden recognition of his own terrible loneliness, not even desire. Only he thought, looking at her, noting the obvious nervousness as she spoke and understanding that she wanted, for some unfathomable reason, his good opinion: Why not? Here was a pretty, amiable girl who seemed to have decided, apparently on the spot, that the redress of his great personal tragedy—for the record, not his own cosmic view of the matter—ought to be her purpose in life, or at least its priority.
Why not? is not the most promising beginning to a love story, but the two of them get along well enough and begin married life in quiet prosperity. salo finds more comfort in art than in other people, and he uses his considerable family wealth and unerring eye for emerging talent to amass a private collection that will continue to appreciate in value over the years. meanwhile johanna longs for a family to cement her distracted, emotionally unavailable husband more firmly into her life.
she struggles to get pregnant for years, consulting with fertility doctors and undergoing numerous unsuccessful procedures on her soul-crushing "infertility journey." in what is to be their final attempt, three fertilized eggs are implanted into johanna's womb while the final egg is frozen for the likelihood of a surrogate. but against all expectations, all three embryos "take" and johanna becomes pregnant with triplets.
as arduous a process as it was to bring her children into the world, their conception turns out to be the easiest part of achieving johanna's dream of the big happy oppenheimer family, and the time that harrison, lewyn, and sally spent together in utero is the end of their closeness. the triplets don't have any use for each other, and salo spends more and more time acquiring and admiring his art collection in its temperature-controlled brooklyn warehouse while johanna waits in vain "for the magical creative synergy of her happy children to fill the house."
she clings to her dreams of familial bliss, but their home life is nothing more than a collection of individuals quietly pursuing their own interests and her children have nothing but antipathy for each other.
The three of them might rise but they simply declined to converge, even if they happened to actually share some interest or preference...To call them individually, in their distinct ways, "quiet" or "self-reliant," for example, was to ignore the fact that Sally isolated herself to feel annoyed, Lewyn to feel wounded, and Harrison simply to escape the other two. So powerful was the force of their mutual aversion, and so ironic, given they had never actually been apart, that you might even have said it was the single thing they actually did share.
wanting domestic harmony is not enough to make it so; every unhappy oppenheimer is unhappy in their own way, and ultimately johanna understands that nothing she has done has saved herself or salo.
Finally, finally, the tiniest pinprick of reality came through the force field of her stubborn delusion, presenting Johanna with the first filament of an idea that it had all been a failure. They were two adults plus three children, made concurrently. They were five humans cohabiting. They were not, and never had been, a family.
as her children prepare to head off to college, johanna discovers a shocking secret about her husband, and—faced with an empty nest of unfulfilled hopes and purposelessness, she makes arrangements to use a surrogate and her long-frozen embryo to bring phoebe into the world, quadruplets separated by seventeen years.
what follows is a slow-burning story of a fragmented family unspooling through the triplets' college-years misadventures; three blood relations forging their own individual paths through the found families of mentors, friends, and love interests; trying on identities, shaping their values and seeking their purpose. although they have been blessed with every financial opportunity, they are nonetheless lonely and drifting; seeking connection, trying to grow into themselves untethered by the bonds of a family divided by petty jealousy, betrayal, and widely diverging sociopolitical worldviews.
but then there's phoebe, determined to wrangle them all back together.
it's a big satisfying chonk of a book full of all the good family drama stuff like infidelity, secrets, and inheritance, and it's dripping with juicy back- and side-stories where maladjusted and variously-unlikeable characters are forced to consider the world beyond their own privilege and education in matters of religion, sexuality, race, and ideologies. and chickens.
everything circles back tidily and somewhat conveniently, and although it's centered around broken, yearning people, it's not a disillusionment bleakfest and it is often very funny.
my only complaint is that, once the triplets leave home, johanna doesn't factor much into the story; she's central-but-absent from the narrative and their lives overall, which was disappointing to me, since she's the most proactive and interesting character. her stubbornness, sacrifice, and suffering are the catalyst for so many important plot points, and her choices have such profound consequences that it was a shame to lose access to her inner life so early into the book.
it's kind of a perfect summer-book-club-book, so if you have one of those, give it a whirl.
come to my blog!!
June 13, 2022
3.5 stars took me way way too long to get through.
When I started reading, based on this author's previous books, I was expecting a mystery/suspense novel. I quickly realized that this is not that book. It's a family drama that covers years of life in a wealthy New York family. There are marriages, infertility, babies, infidelity, death, lies, and redemption.
This is a multi-layered tale, and I felt like Korelitz did justice to this family in letting the reader know their various motivations, insecurities, tragedies and triumphs. Each character felt fully developed to me and I could identify with each of them in various ways.
This is a slow, slow burn of a book. More of a character study than anything. I liked it when I finished, but I felt like at times it was a slog to wade through the extreme length and detail. I listened to part of this as an audiobook and the narrator definitely kept me interested and invested.
If you go into this book with the correct mindset of the type of book it is, then you might enjoy it. Just know that the writing is very strong, but you may lose the thread because the plot is not.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
When I started reading, based on this author's previous books, I was expecting a mystery/suspense novel. I quickly realized that this is not that book. It's a family drama that covers years of life in a wealthy New York family. There are marriages, infertility, babies, infidelity, death, lies, and redemption.
This is a multi-layered tale, and I felt like Korelitz did justice to this family in letting the reader know their various motivations, insecurities, tragedies and triumphs. Each character felt fully developed to me and I could identify with each of them in various ways.
This is a slow, slow burn of a book. More of a character study than anything. I liked it when I finished, but I felt like at times it was a slog to wade through the extreme length and detail. I listened to part of this as an audiobook and the narrator definitely kept me interested and invested.
If you go into this book with the correct mindset of the type of book it is, then you might enjoy it. Just know that the writing is very strong, but you may lose the thread because the plot is not.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
May 31, 2022
The Oppenheimer triplets were conceived in a petri dish, but the real miracle of their creation took place in Jean Hanff Korelitz’s fertile imagination. These three spoiled scions of a wealthy Brooklyn family are the subject of her sharp new comic novel, “The Latecomer.”
Although it’s set around the end of the 20th century, the story luxuriates in the flourishes of an earlier era, including uncanny coincidences, hidden identities and chapter headings in which the author foreshadows what is about to unfold. Indeed, like a latter-day Edith Wharton, Korelitz simultaneously mocks and embraces these upper-class combatants. Other readers will hear in this vivisection of a dysfunctional family a Franzenesque attention to the great forces pulsing through American culture. But Korelitz writes with such a light touch that one doesn’t feel strong-armed through a college seminar on, say, pharmaceuticals or bird conservation. (Like her previous novel “The Plot,” “The Latecomer” is already set for a TV series adaptation.)
In the early chapters, Korelitz carefully lays the foundation of a storied Jewish family that can trace its roots — and its misfortunes — back to . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Although it’s set around the end of the 20th century, the story luxuriates in the flourishes of an earlier era, including uncanny coincidences, hidden identities and chapter headings in which the author foreshadows what is about to unfold. Indeed, like a latter-day Edith Wharton, Korelitz simultaneously mocks and embraces these upper-class combatants. Other readers will hear in this vivisection of a dysfunctional family a Franzenesque attention to the great forces pulsing through American culture. But Korelitz writes with such a light touch that one doesn’t feel strong-armed through a college seminar on, say, pharmaceuticals or bird conservation. (Like her previous novel “The Plot,” “The Latecomer” is already set for a TV series adaptation.)
In the early chapters, Korelitz carefully lays the foundation of a storied Jewish family that can trace its roots — and its misfortunes — back to . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
dnf
February 11, 2022It’s hard to say when boredom set in, but it occurred fairly quickly in the massive book. It was kindly sent to me by the publisher and as grateful as I am, I just couldn’t bring myself to continue this torturous book.
Long winded, with voluminous language, this book started to wear on me. This book is one with an agenda. Even though I did not finish it, I could see it coming, white privilege (as portrayed trough the Jews), racism, etc. I, for one, am a tad over the books with an agenda.
Sometimes, I tell myself, I will finish a book sometime in the future. It will never happen with this story.
Thanks to the publisher for sending this to me.
Long winded, with voluminous language, this book started to wear on me. This book is one with an agenda. Even though I did not finish it, I could see it coming, white privilege (as portrayed trough the Jews), racism, etc. I, for one, am a tad over the books with an agenda.
Sometimes, I tell myself, I will finish a book sometime in the future. It will never happen with this story.
Thanks to the publisher for sending this to me.
June 10, 2022
“They were two adults plus three children, made concurrently. They were five humans cohabiting. They were not, and never had been, a family.”
After years of trying to have a baby, Johanna finally produced triplets, Sally, Harrison and Lewyn. Her husband Salo went through the motions of fatherhood, but his real interests were elsewhere. “[Salo] ….had slipped past them all and disappeared — not in terms of his physical self, of course, though his physical self came home later and later each night, after longer and longer visits to his warehouse in Coney Island or Red Bank or wherever it was — but his attentive self, his essential self, which by then lived somewhere else entirely.” Seventeen years after the birth of the triplets, Johanna decided to use their last frozen embryo and add Phoebe to the family. “It seemed incredible that Johanna didn’t recognize the state of her own family, which was that he and Sally and Harrison couldn’t get far enough away – first and foremost from one another, but equally from their parents, and it should go without saying from this unasked-for and utterly ill-advised extraneous Oppenheimer.”
I am not a huge fan of family dramas with their predictable and banal crises, but I loved this family that is the opposite of warm and fuzzy. Each member of the family is prickly, acerbic, intelligent and articulate. The siblings see each other, and their parents, as little as possible even though two of them wind up at Cornell. Harrison is the most intellectual of the siblings and goes to a unique and very selective two year college where he becomes friends with Eli Absalom Stone, a self-taught African American wunderkind who has already published a successful book in which he “…called out his own generation….for complacency, anti-intellectualism, and carelessness with the English language.”
I enjoyed the author’s smart, light and fast-paced writing style and her unexpected take on family responsibility, religion, race and education. Ultimately, it is Phoebe (the latecomer) who is the catalyst for the revelation of secrets that draw the siblings closer together. The book was pretty long, but I was never bored or felt like skimming. Julia Whelan did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
After years of trying to have a baby, Johanna finally produced triplets, Sally, Harrison and Lewyn. Her husband Salo went through the motions of fatherhood, but his real interests were elsewhere. “[Salo] ….had slipped past them all and disappeared — not in terms of his physical self, of course, though his physical self came home later and later each night, after longer and longer visits to his warehouse in Coney Island or Red Bank or wherever it was — but his attentive self, his essential self, which by then lived somewhere else entirely.” Seventeen years after the birth of the triplets, Johanna decided to use their last frozen embryo and add Phoebe to the family. “It seemed incredible that Johanna didn’t recognize the state of her own family, which was that he and Sally and Harrison couldn’t get far enough away – first and foremost from one another, but equally from their parents, and it should go without saying from this unasked-for and utterly ill-advised extraneous Oppenheimer.”
I am not a huge fan of family dramas with their predictable and banal crises, but I loved this family that is the opposite of warm and fuzzy. Each member of the family is prickly, acerbic, intelligent and articulate. The siblings see each other, and their parents, as little as possible even though two of them wind up at Cornell. Harrison is the most intellectual of the siblings and goes to a unique and very selective two year college where he becomes friends with Eli Absalom Stone, a self-taught African American wunderkind who has already published a successful book in which he “…called out his own generation….for complacency, anti-intellectualism, and carelessness with the English language.”
I enjoyed the author’s smart, light and fast-paced writing style and her unexpected take on family responsibility, religion, race and education. Ultimately, it is Phoebe (the latecomer) who is the catalyst for the revelation of secrets that draw the siblings closer together. The book was pretty long, but I was never bored or felt like skimming. Julia Whelan did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
January 1, 2023
What a delicious novel. I loved everything about it and had a hard time putting it down. It's hard to believe that this is the first book I've ever read by Jean Korelitz. So glad that she has a decent number of novels on her back list. I just started The Plot. It's fun and very good but not as multi-layered as The Latecomer.
January 30, 2022
I've read many family dramas over the years, and I'm impressed The Latecomer provided a bit of a different reading experience. At 450+ pages it's a long read but exercising some patience along the way, I found it worth the journey. I think it helped that I've read a book by this author before so I knew I should have some faith that there would be complexity to the story and everything was written with purpose.
Rather than give away too much about the plot, I think it's best to keep things simple. The story follows the wealthy Oppenheimer family which consists of the parents and their set of triplets. Many years later, a fourth child is born. It's not really a spoiler to say there is a disconnect among the family members. It's kinda like they are just going through the motions of being a family. The chapters alternate between various family members and the story spans a few decades.
Fair warning, you probably aren't going to love the characters, I sure didn't, but that didn't stop me from being fascinated by their family dynamics. In order to fully appreciate the story I had to wait until I saw the whole picture. A lot of the story is just laying the groundwork but by the end of the book I can say I did understand every character. It's an interesting read and I'm anxious to hear other readers' thoughts on the book and the characters.
Thank you Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Rather than give away too much about the plot, I think it's best to keep things simple. The story follows the wealthy Oppenheimer family which consists of the parents and their set of triplets. Many years later, a fourth child is born. It's not really a spoiler to say there is a disconnect among the family members. It's kinda like they are just going through the motions of being a family. The chapters alternate between various family members and the story spans a few decades.
Fair warning, you probably aren't going to love the characters, I sure didn't, but that didn't stop me from being fascinated by their family dynamics. In order to fully appreciate the story I had to wait until I saw the whole picture. A lot of the story is just laying the groundwork but by the end of the book I can say I did understand every character. It's an interesting read and I'm anxious to hear other readers' thoughts on the book and the characters.
Thank you Celadon Books for providing me with an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
February 20, 2022
3 dense character-driven stars
This in-depth character study of a NYC family – the Oppenheimers -- is quite a hefty book (at 474 pages) and seemed even longer with small print.
Salo was the driver in the car of a fatal accident as a college student and that shaped his future life in ways we can only guess. He and his wife were unable to conceive naturally, so they finally turned to IVF and had triplets. Sadly, the siblings were never close to each other or their parents.
The chapters mostly alternated the stories of each of the family members and we get snippets of their lives at Ivy League colleges as they try to navigate their way in the world.
In a twist, Salo and Joanna decide to utilize the remaining egg from their IVF and Phoebe joins the family, albeit lately, and where the book gets its name.
This one was slow going and very cerebral. I did like the last portion of the book when Phoebe takes over the narrative. Otherwise, it was hard to relate to the characters and get invested in rooting for them.
Thank you to Celadon for the early copy of this one to read. Scheduled to release 5.31.2022.
This in-depth character study of a NYC family – the Oppenheimers -- is quite a hefty book (at 474 pages) and seemed even longer with small print.
Salo was the driver in the car of a fatal accident as a college student and that shaped his future life in ways we can only guess. He and his wife were unable to conceive naturally, so they finally turned to IVF and had triplets. Sadly, the siblings were never close to each other or their parents.
The chapters mostly alternated the stories of each of the family members and we get snippets of their lives at Ivy League colleges as they try to navigate their way in the world.
In a twist, Salo and Joanna decide to utilize the remaining egg from their IVF and Phoebe joins the family, albeit lately, and where the book gets its name.
This one was slow going and very cerebral. I did like the last portion of the book when Phoebe takes over the narrative. Otherwise, it was hard to relate to the characters and get invested in rooting for them.
Thank you to Celadon for the early copy of this one to read. Scheduled to release 5.31.2022.
May 28, 2022
Summary: The Latecomer tells the story of Salo Oppenheimer and his wife Johanna. From their first meeting under tragic circumstances, to their struggles to conceive via IVF, their lives are filled with both drama and the mundane as they try to create a happy life for their triplets Sally, Harrison and Lewyn. Facing an empty nest as the triplets go off to college, while simultaneously dealing with the secret her husband has kept for decades, Johanna decides to have another child, “ The Latecomer” in hopes that this fourth child will help heal their splintering family.
Thoughts: Let me start off by saying I do not think this one is for me. While I often look for books rich in character development, this book was all character, and little plot. And yet at times, it felt as though there was too much going on in the plot line (not sure how both could be true at the same time, but here we are). The author does a deep dive on the relationship of a dysfunctional family, The Oppenheimers, over many years and how they tackle issues of religion, racism, sexuality, etc.
This is book is a great depiction of the age old theme of past traumas of the parents negatively impacting the lives of their children. And while that on its face is a really interesting storyline, the execution here just didn’t work for me. At times it seemed to be more stream of consciousness than a streamlined plot. It was so verbose at times, I felt myself losing track of what was actually happening from one moment to the next. I think the same story could have been told in 300 pages and would have been a much more succinct and enjoyable book, at least for me.
While it wasn’t a favorite of mine, this book does have some very positive reviews. If you are on the fence, I would check this one out especially if you are one who loves intensive character analysis and epic family dramas.
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thoughts: Let me start off by saying I do not think this one is for me. While I often look for books rich in character development, this book was all character, and little plot. And yet at times, it felt as though there was too much going on in the plot line (not sure how both could be true at the same time, but here we are). The author does a deep dive on the relationship of a dysfunctional family, The Oppenheimers, over many years and how they tackle issues of religion, racism, sexuality, etc.
This is book is a great depiction of the age old theme of past traumas of the parents negatively impacting the lives of their children. And while that on its face is a really interesting storyline, the execution here just didn’t work for me. At times it seemed to be more stream of consciousness than a streamlined plot. It was so verbose at times, I felt myself losing track of what was actually happening from one moment to the next. I think the same story could have been told in 300 pages and would have been a much more succinct and enjoyable book, at least for me.
While it wasn’t a favorite of mine, this book does have some very positive reviews. If you are on the fence, I would check this one out especially if you are one who loves intensive character analysis and epic family dramas.
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read
June 12, 2022DNF
I will not be rating or reviewing The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I found the book to be overly long and slow-moving. The plot seems slow to develop and the characters are shallow and uninteresting. This is my opinion only and I am sure most will enjoy this novel.
I will not be rating or reviewing The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I found the book to be overly long and slow-moving. The plot seems slow to develop and the characters are shallow and uninteresting. This is my opinion only and I am sure most will enjoy this novel.
June 7, 2022
I have just listened to the Audio book The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz Narrated by Julia Whelan
This story is of a wealthy New York family, The Oppenheimers
It starts off with a tragedy involving a car accident and a then young Salo Oppenheimer.
As the story progresses Salo marries Johanna. Johanna and Salo have triplets, born with the assistance of in vitro .
The children two sons, and a daughter Harrison, Lewyn and Sally have very special and privileged life, growing up in a large, restored home, but really do not connect with each other at all. To be frank, they are not the least bit likeable.
It was a unique and intellectual book that was difficult at times to want to listen to, being that the triplets, and most of the characters were not likeable, however at the same time I was compelled to keep listening on.
I thoroughly enjoyed the art collection aspect of the book, as well as the second daughter who was born many years later.
Did I enjoy the book overall yes, and am glad that I listened to it. It was a deep thinking and quite special book with all being said, and extremely well written.
Thank You to NetGalley, Author Jean Hanff Korelitz, Narrator Julia Whelan and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy to enjoy and review
#NetGalley
This story is of a wealthy New York family, The Oppenheimers
It starts off with a tragedy involving a car accident and a then young Salo Oppenheimer.
As the story progresses Salo marries Johanna. Johanna and Salo have triplets, born with the assistance of in vitro .
The children two sons, and a daughter Harrison, Lewyn and Sally have very special and privileged life, growing up in a large, restored home, but really do not connect with each other at all. To be frank, they are not the least bit likeable.
It was a unique and intellectual book that was difficult at times to want to listen to, being that the triplets, and most of the characters were not likeable, however at the same time I was compelled to keep listening on.
I thoroughly enjoyed the art collection aspect of the book, as well as the second daughter who was born many years later.
Did I enjoy the book overall yes, and am glad that I listened to it. It was a deep thinking and quite special book with all being said, and extremely well written.
Thank You to NetGalley, Author Jean Hanff Korelitz, Narrator Julia Whelan and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy to enjoy and review
#NetGalley
July 30, 2022
"The Latecomer" features a dysfunctional family living in NYC. The parents have triplets who are born via IVF. Their mother wants nothing more than for the children to feel very close with each other. She has visions of a happy, bustling household. Not only does this not happen, but the children seem to actively dislike each other. Also, she and her husband become more and more distant as time goes on. This is the kernel of the book from which everything grows.
Most of the characters in the book are difficult to like. At page 130, I was still wondering whether to stop reading. That is how much distaste I felt for the family. However, I did like Lewyn, one of the triplets who has some sensitivity towards other people. I enjoyed his story line of having a Mormon college room-mate and falling for Rochelle - a bright, compassionate woman who is quite interesting herself. I also appreciated getting to know Phoebe - the triplets' much younger (by 18 years) sister.
The author has several interesting themes running through the novel including:
* coming to terms with one's sexual identity
* political correctness
* liberalism vs conservatism
* religious faith
There is a plot twist towards the end of the novel which mirrors one that I remember from the author's previous book, The Devil and Webster. It concerns a conservative pundit/friend of one of the triplets. Unfortunately, it seemed unoriginal in this book.
In balance, while I did find the book entertaining and liked its satiric edge, it didn't quite gel for me.
Most of the characters in the book are difficult to like. At page 130, I was still wondering whether to stop reading. That is how much distaste I felt for the family. However, I did like Lewyn, one of the triplets who has some sensitivity towards other people. I enjoyed his story line of having a Mormon college room-mate and falling for Rochelle - a bright, compassionate woman who is quite interesting herself. I also appreciated getting to know Phoebe - the triplets' much younger (by 18 years) sister.
The author has several interesting themes running through the novel including:
* coming to terms with one's sexual identity
* political correctness
* liberalism vs conservatism
* religious faith
There is a plot twist towards the end of the novel which mirrors one that I remember from the author's previous book, The Devil and Webster. It concerns a conservative pundit/friend of one of the triplets. Unfortunately, it seemed unoriginal in this book.
In balance, while I did find the book entertaining and liked its satiric edge, it didn't quite gel for me.
Read
June 22, 2022This novel follows the Oppenheimer family. The father, Salo, is distant and haunted by a tragedy in his past. The mother, Johanna, fruitlessly tries to keep the family together and be the expected close happy family. Their triplets, Harrison, Lewyn and Sally, on the other hand feel no familial bond and are eager to leave for college. Into this dynamic, Johanna decides to have a fourth child, Phoebe, born as the triplets are finishing high school. Phoebe’s arrival turns out to be more impactful than expected and she might be what is needed to bring the family together. Following the family through the years, we see the dynamics at play and how they change and shift. Starting with Salo in college, and ending with Phoebe going off to college, we see the family develop and grow and how each character develops and changes. While leisurely paced, this is a fast compelling read, perfect for fans of stories following families through the years, such as the TV show, “This Is Us.” – Madeline C.
July 16, 2023
Some books are loud and come on fast and some books are more subtle and reveal themselves slower. I find I like the 2nd type more than the first. This book was that and such a surprise I believe some portions of it will remain with me long.
When I opened this book I thought I knew the story it was going to tell. The blubs told me it was a story about triplets who get a fourth sibling after they have all left for college. Somehow I thought that would mean that these young adults would end up having to raise this new child in their midst.
No spoilers but boy was I wrong. This is a story about triplets but it starts with the parents story and presents themes early that say so much about the family these two people create.
Tolstory said: every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The family of the Oppenheimers seems to have it all--both parents, a comfortable home, wealth and smarts, they even find ways to get along, as long as they can do it separately. Yet an atmosphere of unhappiness or at least dissatisfaction seems to surround them.
This story is largely a character study and takes over 400 pages to throughly background each character. There is a lot of story here but not a great deal of plot. The reader has to commit to the learning of who each family member is before really understanding where the story is going. In the middle I found myself a little impatient, it seemed too much detail and slow with the purpose unclear. Yet I found I could not put it down. The audio by the wonderful Julia Whelan certainly helped but as I became more invested in the characters I turned to the print as I can read and absorb so much faster from the written page than the audio.
When the fourth child comes into the story towards the end I fell in love with all the author had to say and finally understood why she had gone at it so slow. I do give a lot of 5 stars and then when I come across a book that I know deserves a better reading than I just did in my hurry to keep turning the pages, I understand the real bar that is only reached by a very few. This was one of those books for me.
If you love a strong family saga, a story in NYC, and a real undercurrent about art and art collecting this is a great book. I read the author's previous, The Plot, which was more of a thriller. This was totally different but I will certainly be looking at some of the author's backlist as she has really earned my respect.
When I opened this book I thought I knew the story it was going to tell. The blubs told me it was a story about triplets who get a fourth sibling after they have all left for college. Somehow I thought that would mean that these young adults would end up having to raise this new child in their midst.
No spoilers but boy was I wrong. This is a story about triplets but it starts with the parents story and presents themes early that say so much about the family these two people create.
Tolstory said: every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The family of the Oppenheimers seems to have it all--both parents, a comfortable home, wealth and smarts, they even find ways to get along, as long as they can do it separately. Yet an atmosphere of unhappiness or at least dissatisfaction seems to surround them.
This story is largely a character study and takes over 400 pages to throughly background each character. There is a lot of story here but not a great deal of plot. The reader has to commit to the learning of who each family member is before really understanding where the story is going. In the middle I found myself a little impatient, it seemed too much detail and slow with the purpose unclear. Yet I found I could not put it down. The audio by the wonderful Julia Whelan certainly helped but as I became more invested in the characters I turned to the print as I can read and absorb so much faster from the written page than the audio.
When the fourth child comes into the story towards the end I fell in love with all the author had to say and finally understood why she had gone at it so slow. I do give a lot of 5 stars and then when I come across a book that I know deserves a better reading than I just did in my hurry to keep turning the pages, I understand the real bar that is only reached by a very few. This was one of those books for me.
If you love a strong family saga, a story in NYC, and a real undercurrent about art and art collecting this is a great book. I read the author's previous, The Plot, which was more of a thriller. This was totally different but I will certainly be looking at some of the author's backlist as she has really earned my respect.
December 27, 2021
At not far from 500 pages, this book isn't a quick read. But if you choose to read it - and I highly recommend that you do - set aside even more time because you don't want to skim over a single word of the exquisitely woven story and amazingly detailed character development. The author blew me away last year with the first of her books I've read - The Plot - and this one is no less impressive.
Born thru in vitro fertilization back when the procedure was relatively in its infancy, the story focuses on triplets - Harrison, Lewyn and Sally - and Phoebe, who arrived via the same means by way of a single leftover unused but still viable egg 20 years or so later (making them all, in scientific fact, quadruplets). Needless to say, the first three have a tough time wrapping their heads around that - as did I - but therein lies the intriguing story of the "latecomer" and what happens in and to the rest of the family thereafter.
I'd describe it as a coming of age tale, except to me, the initial three, at least, seemed to behave (or misbehave) like old souls pretty much from the beginning. Whether or not that can be attributed to their acknowledged but rarely practiced Jewish heritage, parents who may or may not actually have loved them, or their Petri dish origins, I'm not sure. All I know is that from the beginning, the triplets were at loggerheads with each other; even on their once-a-year birthday when their mother, Joanna, insisted that they pretend to coexist peaceably, they (as my late mother was fond of saying) held hands to keep from fighting.
Phoebe's birth, obviously, throws a bit of a monkey wrench into their disdain for each other and Phoebe (do we like her? Hate her? Refuse to acknowledge her existence?) That said, the story weaves into and out of each character's thoughts, behaviors and interactions with the others (to the extent that there were any), mostly leading up to Phoebe's rather untimely birth - with an explanation, of course, as to why she happened when she happened. It touches on infidelity, deception, wealth, religion (or the lack thereof) and, perhaps most importantly, Phoebe's efforts to bring them all back to some semblance of a real family. You'll have to read it to find out the extent of her success - which comes with some unexpected twists and turns that made me shake my head in awe of how anyone could possibly come up with such an intricate plot. In short, this is a winner in my book - and I thank the publisher for the privilege of reading a pre-release copy. Outstanding!
Born thru in vitro fertilization back when the procedure was relatively in its infancy, the story focuses on triplets - Harrison, Lewyn and Sally - and Phoebe, who arrived via the same means by way of a single leftover unused but still viable egg 20 years or so later (making them all, in scientific fact, quadruplets). Needless to say, the first three have a tough time wrapping their heads around that - as did I - but therein lies the intriguing story of the "latecomer" and what happens in and to the rest of the family thereafter.
I'd describe it as a coming of age tale, except to me, the initial three, at least, seemed to behave (or misbehave) like old souls pretty much from the beginning. Whether or not that can be attributed to their acknowledged but rarely practiced Jewish heritage, parents who may or may not actually have loved them, or their Petri dish origins, I'm not sure. All I know is that from the beginning, the triplets were at loggerheads with each other; even on their once-a-year birthday when their mother, Joanna, insisted that they pretend to coexist peaceably, they (as my late mother was fond of saying) held hands to keep from fighting.
Phoebe's birth, obviously, throws a bit of a monkey wrench into their disdain for each other and Phoebe (do we like her? Hate her? Refuse to acknowledge her existence?) That said, the story weaves into and out of each character's thoughts, behaviors and interactions with the others (to the extent that there were any), mostly leading up to Phoebe's rather untimely birth - with an explanation, of course, as to why she happened when she happened. It touches on infidelity, deception, wealth, religion (or the lack thereof) and, perhaps most importantly, Phoebe's efforts to bring them all back to some semblance of a real family. You'll have to read it to find out the extent of her success - which comes with some unexpected twists and turns that made me shake my head in awe of how anyone could possibly come up with such an intricate plot. In short, this is a winner in my book - and I thank the publisher for the privilege of reading a pre-release copy. Outstanding!
April 22, 2022
There was so much useless verbiage and talk of art. I was pretty bored from the onset. And the characters, they were awful. You may ask, was this book character or plot driven? I would have to say it was completely agenda driven. I am so beyond of books with “hidden” agendas (I.e., white privilege, racism, etc.). I found the ending to be the worst, as it was so unbelievable. Even the worst siblings wouldn’t turn on each other to appease someone they’d just met.
I really wanted to like this one because I am so grateful to Celadon for the review copy. Sadly, this just wasn’t for me.
I really wanted to like this one because I am so grateful to Celadon for the review copy. Sadly, this just wasn’t for me.
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